World Politics
Africa East Africa Burundi Comoros Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Currently making hay while the Ane shine. Hot on the whole new kinds of people thing. Kiongozi Shujaa is actually doing something positive for the country. The Government has been hauling in as much technology as anyone has been willing to give. The schools offered by the US? Wonderful. Fusion power plants for the country side? Sure, don't forget that Village. Frankly, being the center for peace joy and peoplehood is working for them. Shujaa is getting to line his pockets all while showing the world how open and accepting he is; all this while really being open and accepting. Win-win all the way. The Government has asked the Ane to patrol Kurger National Park and cut down on the poachers. As the poachers usually kill several of their own number a year the Ane are willingly helping out. Being a poacher is not worth the gelt these days. You get found and get found fast. With thousands of eyes watching, there is no place to hide. Good chance you will get stomped to death as well. Kenya has opened the African Free Port, located on Mandara Island. A pay as you go few questions asked space port. Convenient to a good portion of the world they invite technology investment. Freedom watchers place the Kenya free port as middle of the road for facilities and interference. Masikanietu-- The Ansisi village is located in the Western part of the country. Masikanietu is no standout among savanna villages. They have a little more technology in terms of solar panels and a pump for the well, a well tended (and attended) school. They dress Masai fashion, but do not keep cattle other than goats. They are mainly farmers. Since the Ane came out they have gotten a fusion power plant. The Kenyan army keeps a subtle watch on the place, mainly to keep it from being overrun but over helpful people.. The difference is that the Ansisi are Human telepaths, and the Greyson gazelles that hang around (and in) the village are Ane. Ansisi have been hiding in plain sight for millennia. With the The Trial for Peoplehood the Ane and the Ansisi alike are out. The Fanboy tsunami has not quite materialized. Apparently a plane ticket to Kenya costs money. A substance Fanboys are notoriously short of. Madagascar While a constitutional republic the Human rights issues is a badly stained one with the electoral process currently suspended. Ethic divisions and political viewpoints are matters to fight over. These problems aside Madagascar has sufficient economic clout to being in the modern technology. Even this has caused unrest and protest as the people perceive that those that back the government are getting all the new technology. They are not in the SRA. The current Madagascar government has been wooing Anglophile countries for investment and aid. Malawi Malawi is among the world's least developed countries. The economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely rural population. The Malawian government depends heavily on outside aid to meet development needs, although this need (and the aid offered) has decreased since 2000. They are having a hard time getting the fusion reactors that mean modern economic growth. The Malawian government faces challenges in building and expanding the economy, improving education, health care, environmental protection, and becoming financially independent. Malawi has several programs developed since 2005 that focus on these issues, and the country's outlook appears to be improving, with improvements in economic growth, education and healthcare seen in 2007 and 2008. As of 2010, international observers noted issues in several human rights areas. Excessive force was seen to be used by police forces, security forces were able to act with impunity, mob violence was occasionally seen, and prison conditions continued to be harsh and sometimes life threatening. However, the government was seen to make some effort to prosecute security forces who used excessive force. Other legal issues included limits on free speech and freedom of the press, lengthy pretrial detentions, and arbitrary arrests and detentions. Societal issues found included violence against women, human trafficking and child labor. Corruption within the government is seen as a major issue, despite the Malawi Anti-Corruption Bureau's (ACB) attempts to reduce it. The ACB appears to be successful at finding and prosecuting low level corruption, but higher level officials appear to be able to act with impunity. Corruption within security forces is also an issue. As of 2010, homosexuality was illegal in Malawi, and in one recent case, a couple perceived as homosexual faced extensive jail time when convicted. The convicted pair, sentenced to the maximum of 14 years of hard labor each, were pardoned two weeks later following the intervention of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Mauritius Mayotte Mozambique A country performing well below potential. They signed the SRA and have been mostly hewing to the agreement.The government has reluctantly allowed that Ane/Ansisi can also administer elections, it was their suggestion. It is clear the ruling party is not happy with the idea, and also clear they don't feel they can fight it. Ruling party support is thin and with all the "outside help" a change is in the wind. Ane are asked mainly to help guard crops, and prevent poaching. They likewise have an Elephant problem that is being dealt with. Mozambique has been pulling in as much technology as they can buy or beg. A fusion generator in a village that lives by subsistence agriculture is a shot in the arm. A reactor and generator in a park means that tourists get all the comforts they are used to, and the park does not suffer ecological damage. Money for such things is not plentiful so there is a great deal of push and pull as to who gets the goodies first. Réunion Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south west of Mauritius, the nearest island. Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the 27 regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland. Réunion is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, is part of the Eurozone. As goes France goes Réunion. Rwanda Seychelles Somalia Less a nation than an open wound. Greedy warlords see that Humanitarian aid lines their pockets, not the bellies of hungry children. The Somalia pirates are infamous, and dangerous. Under President Russel the US Navy has gone proactive on the pirates. Little boats are stopped and searched, if they have weapons they are arrested and the boat sunk. If they fire on a Navy vessel they are simply sunk. Motherships are sunk, no questions. Survivors are arrested. Hostage ships are retaken. We are sorry if anyone got killed, but no more ransoms, period. The SEALS are kept busy. India is backing this policy as are any of the Eastern African and Asian nations with any kind of merchant fleet. Many European nations are horrified, including the ones that use to hang pirates without trial. Between The US and allies, India, and Singapore, enough gunboats exist to patrol the entire horn within radar range of each other. SEAL and US Special forces raids have been taking the money back. A deaf ear is turned to those that wail about the thieves that suffer in these raids. Pirate ports have been bombed. There is no legitimate trade in these ports. The pirates are at war with the world, and some people are taking it seriously. Tanzania Struggling with Human rights and trying desperately to get a piece of the Ane pie. They are so close they have even been spotted in Tanzania but deal very cautiously with the government; which they openly state is far from ideal. Stop worrying about who has the power and deal. Tanzania is another country where they are trying monetize their wildlife and they are constantly trying to balance the needs of that resource with those of a desperately poor rural population. Like Kenya they have Ane patrolling the parks. Stopping poachers is in the Ane's best interest. Uganda Zambia Middle Africa Angola Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon São Tomé and Príncipe Northern Africa Algeria Egypt Proceeding slowly on the energy front. First it must be determined if the new fusion power offends the Mullahs. A group easily offended if you wave at them with the wrong hand. Some members of the intelligence service are still freaked out by the healing wave. That would be those familiar with the 13th Crescent. They have seen the site, and it is vastly disturbing. Currently the Egyptian Special Police is keeping anyone else from seeing it and will not explain to anyone why they will not let them see it. "Suffering" the Arab spring. The old order is swept away and it remains to be seen what the new order is. Libya Fading slowly into the sunset. With the demand for oil hitting an all time low Libya, never freedom's favorite nation has lost what little influence it had. Gadaffi is dead, the country is still fighting out what that means. Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic ---- Southern Africa Botswana Lesotho Zimbabwe Namibia South Africa Keenly wanting what Kenya has (the Ane), however they are using the gold and diamond revenues they do have to build South Africa into the most modern state on the continent. They have made it quietly plain that if Kenya ever nuts up, the Ansisi and their friends are welcome to move south. The offer is being examined, not so much out of need but with the idea of splitting the physical population. The Ansisi have always limited their numbers due to limited land. Swaziland ---- Western Africa Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast (In the Local French The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire) A country long torn by internal strife. The latest a war over the election results from the 2010 election that should have been held in 2005. The results didn't please the ruling party. Alassane Ouattara was finally inaugurated a year after he was elected. The violence has simmered down. The Ivory Coast has one of the strongest economies in Africa. Corruption and civil violence are the main impediments to it being a leading nation on the continent. They are not a signer of the SRA. The government as it was was no saint and the government as is is hardly prepared to make any such commitment. Liberia Liberia is one of only two modern countries in Sub-Saharan Africa without roots in the European Scramble for Africa. Beginning in 1820, the region was colonized by freed American slaves with the help of the American Colonization Society, a private organization that believed ex-slaves would have greater freedom and equality in Africa. Slaves freed from slave ships were also sent there instead of being repatriated to their countries of origin. In 1847, these colonists founded the Republic of Liberia, establishing a government modeled on that of the United States. The colonists, known as Americo-Liberians, monopolized the political and economic sectors of the country despite comprising only a small percentage of the largely indigenous population. Liberia scored a 3.3 on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt) on the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking 87th of 178 countries worldwide and 11th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. This score represented a significant improvement since 2007, when the country scored 2.1 and ranked 150th of 180 countries. When seeking attention of a selection of service providers 89% of Liberians had to pay a bribe, the highest national percentage in the world according to the organization's 2010 Global Corruption Barometer. Liberia is one of the world's poorest countries, with a formal employment rate of only 15%. Liberia was refused entry into the Sentient Rights Agreement due to governmental corruption. They are not getting the benefits of the new age of technology again due to the rampant corruption. Mali Mali is a constitutional democracy governed by the Constitution of 12 January 1992, which was amended in 1999. The constitution provides for a separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The system of government can be described as "semi-presidential.Democracy-wise things looked positive after the local elections at the end of April 2009, though significant shortcomings and attempts at manipulation still existed. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average worker's annual salary is approximately US$1,500. Mali has made no effort to join the SRA. Due to the abject poverty of the area is not benefiting from the technological breakthroughs enjoyed by much of the world. Mauritania Niger Nigeria Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Senegal Sierra Leone Togo ---- ---- Americas North/Central America Antigua and Barbuda Separated by a few nautical miles, Antigua and Barbuda are in the middle of the Leeward Islands, part of the Lesser Antilles, roughly at 17 degrees north of the Equator. The country is nicknamed "Land of 365 Beaches" due to the many beaches surrounding the islands. Its governance, language, and culture have all been strongly influenced by The British Empire, which the country was formerly part of. The nation generally enjoys the free and relaxed nature of the Caribbean culture. Tourism being the main industry. They are pulling in modern technology to help make up for the lack of an industrial base. While the fusion generators cost the savings in not buying oil is offsetting it. The majority of the cars on the island are shade tree conversions. At various places about the landscape discarded engine blocks can be seen piled up. Aruba Island in the Caribbean. They have opened the first free enterprise space port in the western Hemisphere. As a tiny nation with Dutch roots they have been totally dependent on tourist trade for years. They have fully embraced fusion technology. They have used the less habitable part of the island to build a spaceport that is available to anyone with the money to fly. With open visa requirements and a strong open market attitude about who can deal with them they are getting the business they want. Aruba has been cutting ties to the Netherlands with the advent of fusion and private space travel they feel they can make a nation without the colonial leash. The Mother country is not at all sure this is a good idea, after all they want a cut too. Aruba is not a SRA signer however the Netherlands is and they currently fall under that agreement. Barbados Canada Currently in the grip of the conservative arm of Canadian politics. The tone conservative or liberal is statist. Technological penetration is about equal to the US. Alberta is resisting the move away from oil. Actually trying to get a mandate for a minimum oil use and price for that oil. The rest of the country is not going along. Canada also has a strong urge to control the flow of information, mainly a very strong copyright lobby. They are getting the attention of the AI community. The urge to stifle dissent is also getting them negative attention from the SRA community. Normally a quiet nation that tends to follow the lead of the US or The United Kingdom they are quietly becoming more rigid in areas where significant opposition exists. Things could get noisy. Costa Rica Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Rolling in Misery. Haiti is a nation destroyed. Between the politics the poverty and the earthquake, little is left to do or hope about. People shuffle through their lives trying to make a living of things while political strong men tussle with each other for the right to lord over the ruin. Good people do what they can around the politics. Honduras Jamaica One of the world's happy places. The law is not too heavy, the politics less corrupt than usual, the climate is pleasant and the people friendly. The people are spending those tourist dollars on fusion and desalination plants. Yes, reverse osmosis is inefficient. But when you filter that same water for the deuterium that keeps your power plant running it suddenly gets a lot cheaper. An island with no raw materials or native power outside of wind and sun, fusion is their key to energy freedom. Mexico Mexico is in the throes of a revolution. The drug cartels have the police in their pockets and often are better armed than the army. Corruption makes the government a joke. The south of the country is about ready to divorce the north and try making it without them. The US with its drug laws is not improving things. Nicaragua Panama Chortling over fusion power. they are planning a parallel canal and have started digging. Fusion means they don't have to depend on gravity to power the water. Completion is estimated to be in 2016, at which time the original canal will be closed down and upgraded. The end result to be done in 2023 is a much larger parallel system, each serving one direction and allowing better than double the current traffic. Lights are planned to allow night navigation. All powered by plentiful sea water. Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sandwich Islands Trinidad and Tobago United States of America See United States ---- South America Argentina They are determined to be the economic powerhouse of the South. Argentina is getting its hands on as much technology as they can. Fusion is rapidly spreading form the cities an into the country side. Belize Bolivia Now that Chavee of Venezuela is dead Duran Moralless is running for buck-nuts socialist of the Americas. Close friends with the late Venezuelan would be dictator he is seeing enemies around every corner. The problem is the way he is reacting to this will assure he has enemies around every corner. Bolivia is ratcheting down on dissent. They have dropped a full point in the Sentient Rights Agreement scale. Otherwise it is a decent place to live. Brazil Chile Chile is working to modernize. While among the leaders in South America they are not at first world standards. The government requires watching as it has proved instable in the past. Chile is attempting to leverage its limited resources into a robust 21st century nation. Colombia Still dealing with the US War on (some) Drugs. The cartels hold vast areas of the country side. Cocaine base is actually used as money. The drug cartels actually provide the services that the government never really did in those back water areas. They are sophisticated builders and planers. Actual submarines are being constructed to run the drugs to the US. Meanwhile the corrupt government is being propped up by the DEA because it cooperates with the DEA treating the country like its own private war games preserve. Ecuador Falkland Islands Still a United Kingdom territory. The Falklands have a British culture and that is unlikely to change any time soon. Argentina is still sore over the matter. Their politics and government is that of the United Kingdom. French Guiana Guyana Paraguay Peru Peru is coming out of a long period of conflict both internal and with its neighbors. There is still a dispute with Chile that has not been resolved. They are considered a developing nation with a high Human rights level. Peru is buying into as much of the new technology as it can get. The dichotomy between the cities and the rural areas is stunning. Fusion and krellite cells can change that. Suriname They are turning their wealth in natural resources; bauxite, gold, and oil, along with fishery and agricultural products into a modern nation. With relations with the Netherlands growing sour they have looked more closely to the United States as a trading and cultural partner. They are a strong Roman Catholic country, this is affecting their total score on the SRA. They are the smallest nation in the contiguous South American continent with a population under half a million. Uruguay One of the most hopping places in South America. They have made social progress the US is only dipping its toes in and did not suffer from the world recession. They have one of the highest SRA scores. They have been pulling in fusion technology as quickly as possible. In many cases tearing down coal or gas power plants as the fusion replacement comes on line. They are one of the few counties to cluster the small fusion reactors into large plantations. They are replacing the old plants with the new and not rebuilding the grid. They are building South America's first krellite car. The Escarabajo eléctrico is a Volkswagen beetle frame (yea the old one) with a reworked electric drive train and body. The car is wildly popular. Venezuela The civil war is winding down. The government is a coalition of city mayors that are holding things together until the elections. Oil production was damaged, and at the current market for oil it might not get repaired. The country is looking at a stark future as Chavee carelessly spent the oil boom money on keeping people complacent and not on actually improving anything. They are broke, damaged, and no more money is coming in. ---- ---- Asia Central Asia Kazakhstan Kazakhstan is officially a presidential republic but displays strong authoritarian characteristics. The first and only president is Nursultan Nazarbayev. The president is also the commander in chief of the armed forces and may veto legislation that has been passed by the Parliament. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Ministers and serves as Kazakhstan's head of government. Human rights and fair and free elections are not a major concern. They are not signers of the SRA. They are among the nations that contend the Ane should be a world resource. Political corruption has prevented the wide spread use of fusion. A hand full of the wealthy have their own private power plants. The peons are forced to buy local oil and gas at state set prices. Kyrgyzstan One of the six Turkish states. They are currently undergoing unrest and protect over government corruption. Nothing in the way of the new technologies has penetrated here, unless privately in the hands of the oligarchs. No they are not part of the SRA community. Neither are they complaining about it. They have internal fish to fry. Violence has been breaking down along ethic lines. Officials have been expressing a return to devout religious values, mainly as a means of controlling the unrest. The majority religion is Islam followed by the Russian Orthodox Church. Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan ---- Eastern Asia Beijing Municipality (People's Republic of China) The only thing holding this city together is size. The fact that it is a transportation hub is the only reason that people even go there unless they live there. Beijing exists under the delusion that it controls China. The minor underlings that are what is left of the Maoist government blithely go about issuing directives and orders that get totally ignored. The city itself has slipped back into the 19th century technology wise. It is bleeding people. The airports do not function for lack of modern traffic control. The government, still pretending that the socialist state exists is still denied any computer more complex than an abacus, and the cops have to carry billy clubs. The Citizens have guns. "Greater China" The Maoist government is gone. The means of governing destroyed; the Red Army rendered impotent; the government in Beijing simply stopped being relevant in the lives of anyone. Tibet, Manchuria and other "captive regions" have broken away and turned their back on the idea of China. Hong Kong, and Manchu are business as usual. The city of Shanghai is taking ruthless advantage of the current situation. Various local groups have taken up the functions of government from ad hoc village councils to corporations. Ane, AKA "Magical Antelopes" continue to advise and suggest to local peoples how to deal with the sudden lack of governmental control. The Chinese themselves have not ignored the new technology. Fusion reactors, many made in Japan are coming into the country as quickly as people can get them. Entire towns have gone off the grid, and with the current state of the government off the radar. Hong Kong City State Grinning and diving into making all the money they can. With the threat of Beijing off their necks Hong Kong is beholden to no one. They like it that way. The City state prospers. It is a near true free market. Money has been spent on fusion plants, on krellite cells for cars and buses, for tri-logic computers. What was one of the most polluted spots in the world is cleaning up. Hong Kong is pushing for 100% energy independence in 3 years. No oil, no coal, no gas. The first all fusion-electric nation in the world. Henan A former Chinese province that was heavily shattered by the fall of the Maoist government. Those authorities still standing when the shouting was over have fallen back on the wisdom of the Shaolin Monks of the Song Mountain Monastery. The Monks have a near mythical reputation and power. The result being the country is developing along decidedly Buddhist lines. There are worse things to happen. The Shaolin Monastery is currently cooperating with the Collegium Arcane in the research and compilation of magical knowledge. It seems that have quite a bit. Henan has recently signed the Sentient Rights Agreement. Nothing within is anti Buddhist. Huan The former Chinese province has pulled together a government, assembled a constitution and presented itself on the world stage. It is getting less than enthusiasm from the first world nations that see the break up of China as a bad thing because if one giant nation can fall apart without Mad Max coming to town, they all can. That cold chill is death walking on your grave. The nation state isn't necessary. Huan is getting positive answers from the developing world. Kenya jumped all over accepting them. Other African Federation nation have followed suit as well as those former Chinese provinces that have already established themselves. Huan has presented itself to the Sentient Rights Agreement and stepped up to sign the Lost Persons Treaty. Japan Taking everything they can get of the new technology with both hands. Fusion is salvation. Japanese oil imports have dropped to the point of feeding the plastics and rubber industry only. Oil is no longer burned in the country. Natural gas and propane are still significant power sources and fission plants are being closed. In the case of Fukushima it went off line just in time for the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Experts say the damage done to the plant would have precipitated a disaster if it had been critical at the time. The government has signed the SRA. the whaling fleet lies rusting at the bottom of the harbor, and the expense of replacing it is simply not worth the time, effort, money, and bad will it would generate. The owners are still arguing with the insurance companies over the insurance. From every evidence the fleet was scuttled, not covered. Aliens in Popular Culture Japan is of two minds on the Ane. The popular culture has grabbed them and given them the usual Japanese popular culture treatment. They appear as dolls, Anime and Magna characters. Solid blue contacts, wearable horns, black noses, even tails are seen on the public streets. Ane are kawaii all the way. Other Aliens are starting to impinge on the Japanese conciseness as well. The Dragon-like Sauroi are popular, even if local examples are rare. Vulcans and the stoic attitudes are likewise getting Japanized. Vulcans will not recognize themselves. Vulcans and Elves are getting conflated with each other in the popular culture. Leomans are very big. Even though the Leomans were only briefly seen they are now wise counselors and fearless warriors. If this bears any resemblance to the truth it is strictly an accident. Phoenixes are also popular as are the half Phoenixes. In this case the reported attributes are closer to the popular view. Again, not from any effort on anyones' part. Centaurs and Half Centaurs have not grabbed the popular imagination. All things considered perhaps the Centaurs and half Centaurs should be glad of it. Since Astral Flame Rolled through Tanuki have also grabbed the popular attention. While only superficially resembling the Japanese Tanuki (raccoon dog) they are being granted many of their supernatural properties. "Cali-girls" fans of Willis Blackmane (that he would rather do without) carry model calipers to measure his balls. Macau City State Similar to Hong Kong but with a Portuguese flavor and gambling. With the failure of the Beijing government they shrugged and kept stepping. It had never been that important to them and more of a worry than anything positive. One never knew when the barely controlled Chaos that was Mancu would finally become too much and Beijing would pull in the reins. That issue is off the plate. Mongolia A former forced communist country that is gladly now a free market state. Mongolia is mainly know for the nomadic nature of many of it's people and the spareness of self same people. They are one of the signers of the SRA, about as good as any of them. Mongolia breathed a sign of relief at the fall of the Soviet Union and further sigh at the collapse of China. Technology is coming slowly to this land locked country with little of anything. The lives of the majority of the population is little changed from the time of Genghis Kahn. They are slow to join the 20th century, never mind the 21st. North Korea Slipping further and further from reality. The average subject has not a clue as to what is happening in the world. Kim Jong-il is dead. The official news report stated he ascended bodily to Heaven. Intelligence is tossing the term "phaser ascension" around. Kim Jong-un is the author of dozens of impossible accomplishments. And the new head of the nation. It remains to be seen if he is as bat-shit crazy as his Father. One result of the loss of the Chinese Red Army is the border with China has become openly permeable. While the North Korean Army continues to pretend to guard it and most people pretend they do, anyone that wishes to get across can. North Korea is losing people at a steady rate. Republic of China (Taiwan) Ding dong the witch is dead! Taiwan can hardly believe their luck. The "People's Republic" imploded on itself. They have wiped that dust from their heels and set about making money. Taiwan is either number four of five on the Asian nations that are grabbing as much of the fusion electric pie as they can. Due to ties with the US it is General Electric reactors not Mitsubishi. Something for which the US is thankful. Shanghai City State The largest city in China at the time of the China-Ane unwar and one of the most independent. With her economic strength in financial markets Shanghai turned its back on the Maoist government and continued business as usual. It was already administered as a separate province, the ad hoc administration just picked up the pieces where they were and dealt with it. With access to the sea assured and a good airport they just ignored Beijing. With corporate control of civil services the city never missed beat. People utterly failed to notice that directives from Beijing had stopped happening. It remains to be seen what kind of government will grow out of this ad hoc start, businesses assuming the reins to keep the city running. Rest assured many people are watching. Some are watching very fearfully. With the Nationalist Yuan not worth the paper it is printed on the Shanghai banks have introduced a new silver specie called the Sycee after the silver money of the Ming dynasty. Trust in this new specie is firming up, but has not spread much beyond Shanghai proper. The coins are clear polycarbonate with a quarter gram or more of silver embedded in them. The polycarbonate is mainly to ensure the small bits of silver are hard to lose, easy to handle and cannot be altered. A laser readable code is added for security. Value is stamped on the bit of silver. Trade in dollars continues as well. Sichuan State This former province of China is pulling itself together as a nation in its own right. They are dealing with the ecological damage caused by the late regime's desire for large impressive public works. They have successfully solicited donations to decommission the Three Gorges Dam almost before it was truly operational. With the funds they are building fusion plants and constructing flood control works that do not disrupt the ecology and beauty of the region. Chengdu is flogging the records to restore seized lands and to return the way of life they once had. They have signed the Sentient Rights Agreement. They want the help of the Ane and the Magical Antelopes. Sichuan does not have a formal military force. Order is kept by the People's Committees. In effect vigilante groups equipped with Red Army gear and semi official sanction. They are also known as Zhìzuò línjū or the Committee of Making Neighbors for this efforts to quickly integrate any newcomer into the community. South Korea Like Japan they are grabbing all the new technology they can with both hands and their teeth. Politics has changed little. They warily watch the North and hope for the best. ---- Southern Asia Afghanistan The lights have gone out. What light and hope this nation had for a future has been extinguished by the Taliban and their idea of Arrogant Ignorance. Currently the only aid going in is an effort to get young women out. Being female is all but illegal there. Bangladesh Still fighting poverty and the Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Meghna rivers. Nearly all of the country is a flood plain. Very fertile farm land, but a bad monsoon season can kill tens of thousands. They are building fusion reactors as they can, they truly are dirt poor. Bhutan An Asian pocket country. It is most noted for the voluntary abdication of the fourth King, an absolute monarch in favor of his son as the constitutional monarch of a democratic nation. They are not part of the SRA but not for a lack of rights. Such matters are not important to the small country. They might get around to it at some point. Technology has made few inroads in this landlocked nation. They are truly looking outward for the first time. India India is losing its top spot as the world's call center. Wages along with the technology are going up. Indians want their own car and computers, not to mention refrigerators, dishwashers, and other toys of the modern house. Indian heavy industry has already geared up to make the fusion reactor locally. Such a large nation is difficult to paint with a broad brush. the major cities are not the rural areas. Technology still varies widely and clean drinking water is still a concern for many Indians. India is a country that is still dealing with starvation, and a growing obesity problem. India is still the center of ship breaking and not a very clean version of it either. As the standard of living improves demands that all working conditions improve are becoming stronger. India also has a serious Elephant problem. A problem of their own making. The respect for Ganesh aside Elephants have been fighting back and Humans are not taking it lying down. Ane have been asked to mediate the situation. While this is not making everyone happy it has stopped the inter-species violence while talks are continuing. Due to the Indian abuse of Elephants in the past the government is getting gouged for the services of the Ane as well. Maldives Island nation in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is a popular tourist destination for Europe. They are one of the more recent democratic nations having instituted their first Constitution in 2008. They are signers of the SRA. With little in the way of resources but sun, sand and water they have been investing heavily in fusion. Nepal The sleepy little nation at the top of the world. Aliens, technology, and recent events have made little impact on this rural mountain nation. Some awareness is seeping into the few cities. Kathmandu has satellite service. Fusion reactors have yet to make it up there. The loss of China has kicked the props out from under the Maoist movement. It remains to be seen of the current government will honor the agreements made with the rebels. Pakistan Pakistan is at war with itself. The Taliban having destroyed Afghanistan are looking to spread their poison. the Army is quiescent the Government officially against the idea but firmly in the pockets of the Army. Only the will of the people will keep the lights from going out. Sri Lanka Dealing with the uneasy peace forged with the Tamil rebels. They are an unrich nation, uneasy with themselves trying to get the tools of modern life. In this case, fusion. Fusion means less dependence on outside energy, more schools more hospitals. There is as usual grumbling that the governmental money goes to the cities and ignores the rural population. Tibet With Tibet being free of the Chinese yoke the Dali Llama has taken the enlightened path of declining to return as the political leader of the country. He has urged the people of Tibet to choose wisely how they will rule themselves. When this is done he will return to his spiritual home, never again in this life or any other to hold political power. Tibet itself is struggling to take nothing and make a modern nation of the same. They have no objection to technology. It only requires money. ---- Southeast Asia Brunei Burma (Myanmar) Not a signer of the SRA Myanmar is still struggling under the burdens of ethic tension, child labor, and Human trafficking. Rights are thin on the ground even with the successful elections of 2010. Some private efforts to update the energy situation have been made but thus far they are too little to make a difference in the country at large. It remains to be seen if they can bootstrap themselves to a better place in the world. Cambodia East Timor (Timor-Leste Indonesia Indonesia is a widely spread and diverse county occupying several islands. The central government is desperately trying to make Islam the rule and law of the land, with mixed and usually not good results. Increasingly shrill behavior is also driving away the investment they need to modernize. Internal radical elements all to willing to engage in terrorism do not help. Indonesia is among the loudest of the nations demanding the Ane be declared a world resource. They want the fuzzy four legged things forced to bow to the needs of poor nations, not be the toy of the rich and powerful. They obviously have not investigated the facts or don't care about them. Laos Malaysia Philippines Singapore Like Japan grabbing all the fusion tech they can. The island country has lots of deuterium, but nothing in the way of other energy resources. Nothing else has really changed. They accepted the Sentient Rights Agreement, it doesn't really affect them. The attitude being yea, sure; show us the money. Singapore is in direct competition with Kenya as a free enterprise space port. Of the three such port available they are the most controlling of who and what is done. Thailand Vietnam ---- Western Asia Armenia Azerbaijan One of the former Soviet republics, Azerbaijan is a secular and a unitary republic with an ancient and historic cultural heritage. A nation with a majority Turkic and Shia population. The are openly a democratic nation, but irregularities in the elections casts some serious doubt, such as the opposition party not winning a single seat in the legislature during the last elections. Oil money has managed to lobby against the adoption of fusion to any degree. Inflation and a stagnating economy are eating at the nation. Bahrain One of the most open of the Gulf states Bahrain has women voting and in government, a Constitutional Monarchy. Again a nation whose primary income is oil. They are building for the day that will end. Internal and external unrest has kept Bahrain out of the SRA. They would like to be a part of it, but recent actions by their neighbors is preventing that at the moment. Religious parties are a large part of the government, but extreme or radical agendas have not been suggested. Georgia Iraq With the old dictator Hussin aging away since his spanking at the hands of the Coalition in '91 and with the falling price of oil cutting into his budget Iraq finds itself without friends or the ability to buy them. Its military was gutted in '91. Husein's antics have caused an accelerated brain drain from the county. His increasing jealousy of anyone more competent than himself means that Iraq is rapidly descending to a poor third world nation...again. The Iraq government has admitted that Hussin has disappeared. The Bathe party is trying to hold things together while his sons argue over who gets the most toys. It is currently questionable whether it will survive as a nation. Iran Iran is fading away on the world stage. In the firm control of the clerics, and now with their new overseer of their own creation the AI Muhammad's Disciple even the upper echelons of power cannot get away with anything. Religious hanky panky is forbidden, but dissent is not. Be very careful what you ask for. The new president is playing nice. Reconciliation is his game. The USA offered Iran a deal, fusion for fission. If power is your concern, take modern clean fusion plants in place of the dirty nasty fission. Besides, atom bombs are so last century. They geeked selling the US their fissile materials for fusion plants. Amid all this they have Koranic scholars poring over the pages looking for some indication as to how aliens fit into the scheme of things. So far the head banging has produced headaches. They are withholding comment on any alien until they have a firm fatwa on the matter. Meanwhile the President is going forward, fatwa or not, the aliens are a fact. They have not backed down from their call for making the Ane ad world resource. Israel Sucking down technology as fast as they can suck. Also still sucking on the whole "I'll stop when you stop" conflict thing. They signed the SRA. They have not lived up to it. The Ane are starting to chide, and withhold services. Israel is on the verge of being the first nation kicked out of the SRA. Meanwhile the Ane have been using their presence to offer the Palestinians a way out. Move to El Nanth, move to New Baris. Places that need people. If freedom and peace are you true desire, take the offer. Those for whom freedom and peace are their desire are. Jordan They don't have the money of their oil rich neighbors. They are also trying to stay uninvolved in the local politics. They are getting fusion power. Using fusion to built a manufacturing base to not just pay for the fusion but dig the whole country out of the poverty pit. As the main resource of Jordan seems to be refugees the idea is to put the people to work. Phones, computers, cars, trucks, and, surprise, fusion plants are all being churned out. Jordan signed the SRA and so far looks to be trying to live up to it. The King and his wife are progressive persons, ill-liked in the radical Islamicists' courts. They are using Ane; mainly as eyes and ears. As the King's purpose is the betterment of the people of Jordan he is getting cut rates. Jordan is an unwelcome environment for the extremists. It is filling up with full bellies. Ergo their king is on the hit list. To counter that he has made Jordan a place welcome to the, as he put it, students of the Enlightenment. That gets him no points with the fundie extremists either. Kuwait Having pulled itself back together since the gulf war of 1991 Kuwait is struggling with the forces within itself. Falling oil means the control is fading. The Youth want a say, the clerics want control and the Emir is juggling as fast as he can. Something has to give. Lebanon This is not a nation, it is a shell of a nation propped up by Syria as a deniable means to attack Israel. Syria pulls all the strings and only a fool or the Syrian government thinks it looks otherwise. The losers are the Lebanese themselves that get used as a punching bag by Israel every time Syria stirs things up but have no say in the matter. With Syria embroiled in a civil war the Lebanese are working to stabilize their government and get back on their feet. Shoot rockets at Israel and we hand you over. Enough already. The USA has been pouring fusion into the country. Oman Qatar A mix of the old, the new, the liberal, and the near medieval. Qatar is a spit of sand with nothing but oil. Prior to the fusion revolution they had the second highest per capita income in the middle east. On one hand they treat their women more like people but have guest worker laws akin to slavery. They are one of the few absolute monarchies left in the world. The current Emir, Sheikh Hamma bin Khalifa Al Thadi is quickly seeing that civil reforms are solid and permanent at least for his own people. He can see the walls coming down all around him, and his one outside ally, the United States, has been drifting away to shinyer interests. They were refused membership in the SRA due to the guest worker laws and the form of government. So far that is more important to them than access to Ane. Saudi Arabia Stumbling. Oil revenue is dropping like an unpowered brick in the air. The money that was suppose to last forever is drying up. They have spent little on infrastructure or other means of producing revenue. The grim, grim reaper is sharping his scythe; and the writing on the wall is there to read. Without their fingers around the balls of world energy they are as important as used toilet paper. As a result the religious police have basically declared war on women. Someone needs blaming and the clerics are taking out out on the easy target, not the right one; typical. The King is sorely regretting the agreement made with the devil to get his throne. He pushes back on the clergy at every place he thinks he can. They are just as determined to seen that everyone practices Islam as they see fit. It is only a matter of time before the idle, wealthy, and disillusioned youth rise up and smash everything. The country is one fed up person away from a full bore revolution. It will not be pretty. The Clerics have called on the Ane to be a world resource. Since the Koran does not mention them they are below people; a lessor creation and should have none of the prerogatives the infidel nations have allowed them. The King keeps telling them to shut up. Syria While not signers of the SRA they are constantly pointing at Israel and screaming "see, see?", while backhanding some inconvenient person into the political prison or worse. So nothing has changed. Iran had been funneling money to the Regime to keep it propped up, but Iran's oil money is drying up. The subsidies to be the Iranian attack dog are gone. The leadership sees no reason to invest in the new technology. It is easier to keep the peasantry decently oppressed and down on the farm with the lack of the old one. A decent excuse to use what money they do have on keeping on Israel's case. Various policy wonks are in serious doubt that the regime will wake up before the money is gone, the people are desperately unhappy, and their bodies adorn lampposts. Syria is in a full blow civil war in which no one is winning, and the world isn't sure they want won by either side. Turkey Turkey is a nation quivering in place. The Government is slavishly secular, the only Islamic nation that is so, but Islamic belief and tradition carry much weight. They are looking at the new technologies with both anticipation and fear. They literally have one foot in modern Europe and one foot in Medieval Asia. They are torn between the bright and attractive Mediterranean world and the rural traditions. Turkey tried to sign the SRA. they were told their signature would not be accepted until they got out of Cyprus. United Arab Emirates Grabbing new technology with both hands thank you more please. Starkly aware that oil's day has come and gone they are building the infrastructure of the post oil era. More socially open than most of their neighbors it is working a bit better for them. Not every project has been golden. The speed of progress has not been kind in every respect. They are far from perfect in the civil rights department but far more open than the neighboring nations. They are not advertising for tourists and expecting women to wrap in bedsheets Muslim or not. Looking at you Saudi Arabia. Yemen If anything Saudi Arabia squared. The old men with the hookas are desperately trying to find something, anything, for the young bored and idle men of the country to do. Well something anything that doesn't involve giving them any freedom or say in the matter. Yemen has joined the list of Arabic nations coming apart at the seams. They have fighting in the streets and a long time dictator scrambling for his life. ---- Europe Albania Andorra One of the European pocket principalities that makes its money from tourism and being a tax haven. It has the curios position of having an elected co-prince, but not elected by the Andorran people. The President of France and the Bishop of Urgell in Spain are the co-princes. Neither does anything remotely like rule. With a decent economy and absolutely no native resources Andorra has embraced fusion and krellite. With a total population of under 100,000 a couple of fusion plants powers the whole of the country. Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Quietly building a modern infrastructure as defined by the new standard, IE fusion. They have been questioned as to the necessity of having constitutional language areas built into the legislature by law by both the Vulcans and the Ane. No one has been able to come up with an explanation that does sound like a school yard they wouldn't play if we didn't. Belgium is the headquarters of the European Union for better or worse, Bosnia and Herzegovina Formerly one of the six federal units constituting the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina gained its independence during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. They have a unique three-member Presidency composed of a member of each major ethnic group. An arrangement that gets funny looks from the various aliens. However, the central government's power is highly limited, as the country is largely decentralized and comprises two autonomous entities. Bosnia is pulling itself together as a nation after a long and bloody conflict. Fusion is seen as an economic equalizer and is being strongly pursued. They are signers to the SRA and see the provision that strongly separate the Church and limit the state as good things. Religion has caused too many deaths. Bulgaria Once one of the most rabid of the eastern block countries Bulgaria stumbled into the era of democracy and free market with mixed results. Lacking significant energy resources Bulgaria has made a notable investment in fusion. They are signers of the SRA with a decent rating. They are not frequent uses of Ane services. The Bulgarian foreign minster has wryly noted that Ane populations in Kenya have not decreased, but Ane are seen everywhere. How fast do they breed? Bulgaria has experimented with using Truthtellers in the courts. Not a move universally approved by any measure. Croatia Cyprus Cyprus is still split between the indigenous population and the Turks. Turkey was refused membership in the SRA over this matter. Claims of this or that ethic group not getting enough political power fall on deaf ears. The native Cyprian government is a signer, but one observing more in the breach with a current score of two. The political situation is holding the nation back from the general progress around them. Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France France had an aggressive nuclear energy program before the coming of fusion. Fusion has been taken up with giddy delight. France funded the Orion II class Jules Verne. They are active and eager participants in the Warp Drive Project. Germany Germany is leveraging their technical acumen to best advantage. They have embraced fusion and space. German scientists are eager participators in the Warp Drive Project. Early even eager signers to the SRA like the American John Handcock they wrote real big so everyone would know that racism is dead. They use Ane in government and science as transportation mostly. Those wonderful science conferences are much easier without all the jet lag. The truth is that racism is no deader in Germany than other places. Sadly one skinhead is dead of said attitude. In trying to beat them into an Ane he got his face kicked in, literally. Greece Greece is suffering from too much government for too long. The Greek people have expected the governmental beast of burden to do all the work and refused to feed it enough. It is now starving to death, so they beat it more. Fusion plants have been bought, and might not get repossessed. Greece is decent in the sentient rights department. The health of the government in general is a scary question. Many private Greeks are looking at the lessons of China and preparing for the day the city states return. Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Italian politics are known for fractious minor parties, dissolving coalitions before they really get started and a weak and generally ineffective government. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church on Italian politics is well known. This keeps their SRA score at 3. The Italian Economy is booming in spite of the government not because it it, but this is typical in a nation that lives the principle that it is easier ot get forgiveness than permission. Italy continues to fight against the influence of the Mafia which has a significant economic impact, to the negative. Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Republic of Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro The Netherlands A quiet country that never does make much noise. They are right in the thick of things in grabbing all the tech they can. As a good deal of the country is below sea level dependable power is a literal mater of life and death. Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Russia is tittering between moving forward and moving back. The lost of Star City to the antimatter explosion set their technology efforts back in the most hideous way. The majority of the "great minds" of the nation died in the split moment. They also lost the infrastructure of space flight knocking them out of the running. Russia no longer has the money to freely spend to fix it. They have invested heavily in US built runway capable space craft while hiring engineers by the fist full from where ever they can get them. They have tossed in with the ESA on their Orion 2 ships. They have poured what cash they can into Gagarin Station with the United States. In spite of the set back they will not be counted down and out. They are building their own fusion plants. Oil is the monkey on their back as well. They are not a signer of the SRA. They read the thing and Puttin didn't like the part about the state not having rights. Hey, he stole the power honestly. Their tech recovery efforts are suffering for that. Russia is among the nations calling on the Ane to be a world resource without the SRA, but their tone is conciliatory rather than the usual accusatory, or militant stance. In spite of their nonsigner status the Ane Defense Force in the person of the ADF Rubicon cleaned up the festering nuclear mess that was the piles of rusting Soviet era ships. As well as some other ecological disasters dating as far back as the Stalin era. They were told "Don't do it again." San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Quietly being Switzerland. They officially host the Vulcan Embassy. The Vulcans chose Switzerland because they have the least war of anyone. They are acquiring the efficient and non-polluting fusion and krellite cell technology everyone is gaga over. All without fuss or headlines. Switzerland is literally banking on the world technological boom. The famous banks of Zurich have been passing out the money and hauling the filthy gelt back in an boxcar loads. Big American boxcars, not those little European jobs. Ukraine United Kingdom Wallowing in the politics of the Nanny State. Anti nuclear parties have kept fusion out of the country for fear their corgis will grow five legs. Their scientists participate eagerly in the Warp Drive Project, but the fearful ninnies back home are retarding progress. Something has to give. The rest of Europe is enjoying lowering energy prices, while they are still stuck on admittedly cheaper, but diminishing oil. Vatican City Being the Vatican, the world's only other theocracy. The politics of the "nation" are those of Church dogma. They have no might out side of words. Their modest score in the SRA is due solely to the totally mixed nature of the politics and religion. Vatican politics is mostly concerned with the day to day running of the tiny enclave. The majority of the employees live in Italy. It serves its function of keeping political pressure off the Pope. See also: Roman Catholic Church ---- Pacific Australia Australia is really two places. The people, open friendly and welcoming, and the Government, increasingly controlling, stick up the ass authoritarians. Australia is the land that famously burned all its guns (except for the government's) and experienced a 600% increase in violent crime. The Government wants to bring that experience to other aspects of Australian life. Australia is participating fully in the technology boom. They have money and they are spending it. The government is in a low key information war with an AI "Bunyip". They are losing and trying to maintain face. Efforts to find and destroy Bunyip have been fruitless. East Timor Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Bristles at the idea of being conflated with Australia. Their government has its own bone-headed we know better than you political types. They have been getting the sharp edge of Bunyip's wit. New Zealand is generally quiet on the world state. Live and let live except when some political wonk gets a bone up his butt or his fleecy girlfriend turns him down. Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tuvalu Vanuatu Meta Mostly fictional but grounded in fact. These write ups are giving the editor an education in international politics via the research necessary for the factual grounding. Yes, many of these countries I knew nothing about starting out. I come away knowing more. ---Garry Category:Politics